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In Reply to: Accents- When you just can't find a real foreigner for the role posted by Bambi B on May 21, 2004 at 08:41:25:
Those of us who live in the New England states in the U.S., particularly those in the Boston area, are driven crazy by Hollywood's inability to get the local accent right. The only actors who can do it are those from here, like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The rest shouldn't even try.
Follow Ups:
rico,A friend who knew my interest in languages showed me a copy of "Yankee" magazine from 1938. There was a long article in that issue in which the writer laments that the advent of radio was quickly destroying the distinct New England accent- "It is now (1938) already impossible to distinguish the difference in someone from Danbury from a native of New Haven." Those cities are what, about 150 miles apart?
Anf of course, the slide into homogenity continues all over. A friend in England has for years been telling me how accents in England are becoming incereasingly homogenised and serious Americanisms were creeping in. He was quite angry that, "Now we (the English) call them KIDS!" And that is instead of saying "children". When living in Cambridge, England in the 70's, a boatbuilder native of the City told me could easily tell the difference between a native of Cambridge and someone from Madingley or Cherry Hinton, both of which are only 2 or 3 miles away. I wonder if that is true today?
The French have been especially protective of their language for a long while. For years I thought this was a case of egocentricity and hubris, but now I can feel the sensation of loss of community and identiity that happens when mass media and constant population movement is turning speech patterns into a dog's dinner. Certainly, the accents in differnt parts of France seem still distinct and Swiss or Canadian French is quite different sounding.
Modern life will just inevitably lead to these neutralised accents: As I was born in Libya of US naturalised Dutch and English parents, lived briefly in Oklahoma, schooled in England, studied a bit of French and German, and then 20+ years working in Los Angeles I suppose I'm throwing a really complicated spanner into the works on my own since I had a radio programme for 6 years. Nobody could say where I had come from from my voice! Perhaps only Henry Higgins could have sorted that one!
Interesting and a bit charming that there are still so many people that take pride - and notice- regional accents.
Thinking about it now, I didn't notice very strong attempts to create accents in "Mystic River" and that movie was comsidered so very strong in creating an authentic atmosphere. I would assume that the accent of that working class neighbourhood should have some special speech patterns. Did you see it and what is your opinion of Penn and Co. in that one?
And am I correct that you feel that Damon and Affleck carried off proper Bostonian in "Good Will Hunting?"
Cheers,
Bambi B
1. Danbury and New Haven are less than 50 miles apart.2. I very much enjoyed "Mystic River" (both book and movie) and
most of the actors wisely did not attempt the accent, except for
Kevin Bacon, whose attempt was noble but erratic.3. It's been a while since I saw "Good Will Hunting" so I can't say
for sure but I don't recall being bothered by them so perhaps
unconciously I accepted them.
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